Darío Echandía

Darío Echandía
Colombia Ambassador to Holy See
In office 1968–1973
President	Carlos Lleras Restrepo
Preceded by	José Antonio Montalvo Berbeo
Succeeded by	Antonio Rocha Alvira
In office 1937–1942
President	Alfonso López Pumarejo (1937-1938) Eduardo Santos (1938-1942)
Preceded by	Enrique Olaya Herrera
Colombian Minister of Justice
In office March 27, 1967 – April 19, 1968
President	Carlos Lleras Restrepo
Preceded by	Hernán Salamanca Medina
Succeeded by	Fernando Hinestrosa Forero
Governor of Tolima
In office 1958–1959
Preceded by	Manuel Antonio Coronado González
Succeeded by	Rafael Parga Cortés
Minister of Government
In office April 10, 1948 – May 21, 1949
President	Mariano Ospina Pérez
Preceded by	Eduardo Zuleta Ángel
Succeeded by	Regulo Gaitan Patiño
In office August 7, 1942 – October 8, 1943
President	Alfonso López Pumarejo
Preceded by	Luis Tamayo
Succeeded by	Alberto Lleras Camargo
In office August 13, 1934 – October 7, 1935
President	Alfonso López Pumarejo
Preceded by	Luis Cano
Succeeded by	Alberto Lleras Camargo
2nd Colombia Ambassador to United Kingdom
In office December 10, 1945 – August 20, 1946
President	Alberto Lleras Camargo
Preceded by	Jaime Jaramillo Arango
Succeeded by	Domingo Esguerra Plata
Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office June 30, 1944 – February 12, 1945
President	Alfonso López Pumarejo
Preceded by	Carlos Lozano y Lozano
Succeeded by	Alberto Lleras Camargo
Personal details
Born	(1897-10-13)October 13, 1897 Chaparral, Tolima, Colombia
Died	Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia
Nationality	Colombian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Emilia Arciniegas Castilla (1936-1973)
Alma mater	Our Lady of the Rosary University
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Echandía and the second or maternal family name is Olaya.

Darío Echandía Olaya (October 13, 1897 – May 9, 1989) was a lawyer and a Colombian political figure, a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He was born on October 13, 1897 in Chaparral, Tolima, son of Vincente Enchandia and Carlota Olaya de E. The elder of seven brothers, he was educated at Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Senora del Rosario and Colegio de Araujo (Bogota) receiving degrees of Attorney and Doctor in Law, 1917. He married Emelia Arciniega, August 2, 1936. He died on May 7, 1989 in Ibagué, Tolima.

During his lifetime, Darío Echandía served as deputy for Tolima, senator for Tolima, president of the senate, magistrate in the Supreme Court of Justice, and in the ministries of Government, Education, Justice and Foreign Relations. He was also the Colombian ambassador to London and to the Holy See.

Darío Echandía was designated as acting president of Colombia on four different occasions: From 1943 to 1944 due to the temporary absence of Alfonso López Pumarejo, in 1944 due to a kidnapping attempt against Pumarejo, briefly in 1960, and briefly in 1967.

The Darío Echandía Library (Biblioteca Darío Echandía) in Ibagué was inaugurated in 1984 in his honor.